Usain Bolt's 'triple-triple', Mo Farah's 'double-double' and US golden girl Simone Biles: As the world's best prepare for the Tokyo Games, here are the top ten most iconic moments from the Rio Olympics in 2016
- Japan will be looking to make the Tokyo Olympics this summer very memorable
- But often what makes a Games stand out are the athletes and their performances
- Athens, Beijing and London had incredible moments to be remembered forever
- Here, Sportsmail take a look at the defining moments during the 2016 Rio Games
- Everything you need to know about the Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo
- Find out the latest Tokyo Olympic news including schedule, medal table and results right here
Japan will be looking to make the Olympics this summer the most memorable yet. But at the end of the day, what makes a Games stand out are the athletes and their performances.
Athens saw British heroine Kelly Holmes do the double with golds in the 800m and 1500m in 2004. Beijing brought world record breaker Usain Bolt to our screens for the first time as he began his domination of the sprinting events in 2008.
And London 2012 coined the term 'Super Saturday' after Team GB legends Jessica Ennis-Hill, Greg Rutherford and Mo Farah all struck gold within just 44 minutes.
Now, ahead of Tokyo 2020, Sportsmail have delved into the archives to compile the ten stand out moments at the Rio Games in 2016 by some of the greats.
1. Usain Bolt's 'triple triple'
Usain Bolt was already in the history books for his lightning pace in London in 2012 and at Beijing 2008.
But the Jamaican managed to further his success at Rio by bagging a catchy 'triple-triple'.
![](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/18/08/24872250-8003517-image-m-12_1582014789212.jpg)
Usain Bolt won the 100m and 200m events at Rio prior to victory in the relay event in 2016
The champion sprinter, who was 29 during his final Games, stormed to victory in the 4x100m to seal an historic ninth Olympic gold medal.
In Brazil he had already won the 100m and 200m and celebrated his success by chomping down with his guilty pleasure Chicken McNuggets on the track.
Like his status on the track, Bolt's fondness for chicken nuggets is legendary.
Astonishingly, his Rio success made him the first man to win the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay in three consecutive Games. Bolt's record is almost unblemished, almost.
Played 23, won 22. That is his remarkable strike rate across the heats, semi-finals and finals in Beijing, London and Rio.
But there will be a 6ft 5in void during the main track events - as Bolt will not be competing - and it will be difficult for anyone to fill his colossal size 13 spikes.
2. Mo Farah's 'double-double'
Britain's favourite long-distance runner Mo Farah, or the 'Mobot' to fans, cemented his name as the country's greatest ever track athlete in Rio.
He streaked down the home straight to victory in the 5,000m just a week after dominating the 10,000m final. It made him the only man after flying Finn Lasse Viren to complete the hallowed 'double-double' by winning both the 5,000m and 10,000m at successive Games.
![Briton's Mo Farah races home to victory in the 5,000m final during the Rio Olympics in 2016](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/21/01/3773585B00000578-3751035-image-a-61_1471741043894.jpg)
Briton's Mo Farah races home to victory in the 5,000m final during the Rio Olympics in 2016
His 5,000m success was never in doubt, with the Somalian-born Briton moving to the front in the final laps and refusing to budge under pressure from threatening Ethiopian Hagos Gebrhiwet.
After recovering from a trip by training partner Galen Rupp before the race, Farah had the legs to romp home in the 10,000m final as he out-sprinted Kenyan rival Paul Tanui in the dying moments.
He joined legendary athletes Emil Zátopek, Haile Gebrselassie and Kenenisa Bekele in retaining the Olympic 10,000m title, but was not done there. The Mobot wanted to reach the lofty heights of Viren Lasse, who retained the 10,000m title as well as the 5,000m to coin the phrase 'double-double'.
Though some believed he might have been weakened by his ordeal in the 10,000m and that it had taken so much out of him, he produced a Herculean effort to overhaul Tanui and write his name in history.
3. Olympic golden girl Simone Biles
Despite measuring at just 4ft 6in, gymnastic Simone Biles was one of the stand out performers in Rio with performances that saw her catapulted into US Olympic history.
The then 19-year-old was a powerhouse flung herself across the floor, vault and balance beam as she picked up a stunning five medals. Her success tied the most for an American female gymnast in a single Olympics and her four golds tied an Olympic record shared by just four others.
![Simone Biles has not only carved a spot for herself in Olympics history, she has been bestowed the honor of carrying the US flag at the closing ceremony on Sunday, making her the second gymnast is US history to do so](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/16/19/374CE61F00000578-3743757-image-a-104_1471373332166.jpg)
Simone Biles has not only carved a spot for herself in Olympics history, she has been bestowed the honor of carrying the US flag at the closing ceremony on Sunday, making her the second gymnast is US history to do so
Biles won team and individual gold medals in the women's all-around, vault and floor exercise, while adding a fifth medal - bronze - on the balance beam.
In the floor exercise, in which she secured her fourth gold medal, the tiny tumbler scored an incredibly high 15.966. She led the US to a second consecutive team gold medal by an incredible eight points before winning the all-around title.
Her historic performances propelled the American women's gymnastics team to a total of nine medals in Rio, surpassing the team's previous high of eight from the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008.
In a nod to her incredible achievement, Bile was honoured by carrying the US flag at the Games's closing ceremony, only the second gymnast in US history after Alfred Jochim in Berlin in 1936.
4. Home run for Brazil as Neymar fires hosts to Olympic gold
A typically sensational Neymar inspired Brazil to redemption, revenge and glory during the Olympics, helping atone for the most humiliating night in the country's footballing history when they were hammered 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup two years earlier.
The then 24-year-old, who was injured for the final in 2014, fired home the decisive penalty as Germany were overcome 5-4 in a shootout that followed an intense 1-1 draw at the magnificent Maracana.
![Goalkeeper Weverton races towards Neymar who sinks to his knees after he won the gold medal for Brazil](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/21/00/3771BF6300000578-3750855-image-a-48_1471734910958.jpg)
Keeper Weverton Pereira da Silva races towards Neymar after he won the gold medal for Brazil
It was poster boy Neymar's delightful 25-yard free-kick that got the stadium pumping in a perfect start. German captain Max Meyer levelled the scores within 15 minutes of the second half, and the scores remained level as extra-time blazed past.
But Nils Petersen's saved penalty allowed Neymar to end the five-time World Cup winners' long quest for men's football gold, bringing relief to the host nation after a slow start to the tournament.
5. Hero Syrian refugee swimmer Yusra Mardini
Yusra Mardini, who was 18 at the Rio Games, fled war-torn Syria in 2015 and found herself swimming for her life in the Aegean Sea. The dinghy the youngster was in began to sink after its engine failed, but her and her sister heroically pushed it to safety.
The inspirational refugee hit the headlines again when she won her 100m butterfly heat during the Games for the Olympics first ever refugee team. But she was desperately unlucky not to qualify for the semi finals with a time of 1:09:29 - leaving her in 41st place in the competition overall.
![Yusra Mardini fled war-torn Syria in 2015 and had to swim for her life in the Aegean Sea](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/14/13/24739504-8003517-image-a-1_1581686986040.jpg)
Yusra Mardini fled war-torn Syria in 2015 and found herself swimming for her life in the Aegean Sea
![But a year later she found herself swimming in the Rio Olympic Games and winning her heat](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/14/13/24739502-8003517-image-a-2_1581687013193.jpg)
But a year later she found herself swimming in the Rio Olympic Games and winning her heat
Despite this, the result delighted Mardini - who had been one of Syria's top hopes at the Games before the horrific civil war and the desperate struggle against ISIS.
She said at the time: 'Everything was amazing. The only thing I ever wanted was to compete in the Olympics. I had a good feeling in the water so I'm happy for that.'
Mardini now trains in Berlin and is one of 49 athletes supported by IOC refugee scholarship.
6. Michael Phelps wins SIX in his last Games
It would seem illogical for a swimmer to be a heavyweight. But Team USA's Michael Phelps is just that in the sport, having won 23 golds at the last four Olympic Games.
The aquatic ace, who has dominated the sport since emerging on the scene in Athens 2004, racked up six medals at Rio, including five golds and a silver. The Olympian even managed to squeeze in one last record in the Men's 4x100 medley relay before hanging up his Speedos when Rio was over.
![Michael Phelps couldn't hold back the tears after he took gold in his very last Olympic race on Saturday night](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/14/03/3735C7AA00000578-3739627-image-a-68_1471143311666.jpg)
Michael Phelps could not hold back tears after he took gold in his last Olympic race in Rio 2016
Phelps was visibly emotional at the end of the race, and his fiancee Nicole Johnson and mother Debbie Phelps were bawling with tears of joy as they touched heads, Phelps' son Boomer between them.
Tears even broke the usual focus on Phelps's face, with the superstar letting them flow as he heard the Star-Spangled Banner ring out and bring the curtain down on his masterful career.
7. Spirit of the Games: Runners help each other after fall in 5,000m
American Abbey D'Agnostino and Nikki Hamblin of New Zealand were 3,000m into their 5,000m showdown when the Kiwi appeared to clip Hamblin's heel, sending both tumbling to the ground.
But instead of being livid that their dreams of glory were over, both women put on a display of the Olympic spirit that has lived on after the Games came to a close. D'Agnostino, then 24, immediately got up to help her rival - then, as it became clear that she had a right ankle injury, Hamblin tried to help her continue.
![American runner Abbey D'Agnostino is helped up by Kiwi Nikki Hamblin during the 5,000m](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/14/14/24741274-8003517-image-a-3_1581690007938.jpg)
American runner Abbey D'Agnostino is helped up by Kiwi Nikki Hamblin during the 5,000m
Both athletes tried to chase down the pack but D'Agostino was struggling and could not keep going as her knee had twisted. She told Hamblin to go on as she collapsed on to all fours on the track. But the camera then came back to D'Agostino and she was back on her feet and running again.
Hamblin ran 16:43, while D'Agostino, who has previously run 15:03 in the event, finished last in 17:10.02. The American was waiting at the finish line for the Kiwi and the two runners shared an emotional hug.
8. Bahamian sprinter literally dives for victory
Shaunae Miller stunned Allyson Felix to win the 400m final and deny the American a fifth Olympic gold thanks to an audacious dive across the finish line.
The then 22-year-old Bahamian went out hard from lane seven and led coming into the home straight, but Felix looked set to reel her in.
But as the world champion tied up, Miller launched herself over the line to take victory in a new personal best of 49.44s.
![Shaunae Miller was almost on the ground as she crossed the finish line in the 400m in Rio 2016](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/08/16/12/37472AFC00000578-3742626-image-m-3_1471348713796.jpg)
Shaunae Miller was almost on the ground as she crossed the finish line in the 400m in Rio 2016
The Olympian later claimed she tripped and fell, adding 'it wasn't intentional' and that her legs had given out on her.
Despite the heartbreak for Felix, the rules state that placings are determined on whose torso crosses the line first. So even if it was a deliberate dive, Miller had not contravened the rules.
9. US's Lilly King 'at war' with Russia over doping fallout
Youngster Lilly King called out Russian doper Yulia Efimova throughout the Olympics. The close rivals in the 100m breaststroke went to 'war' with each other both in and out the pool, but the 19-year-old American came up trumps with a blistering win in the final.
King started strongly and maintained the lead, with Efimova trailing closely behind her. But the Russian - who was banned for doping from October 2013 to February 2015 - could only muster a silver and was seen crying after the event.
It probably was not helped by King's shot at her just moments later when she said: 'We can still compete clean and do well in the Olympic games — and that's how it should be.'
Efimova fired back that the West was using sport to fight a new cold war, adding: 'I understand the people who didn't congratulate me because the media was full of fake stories about me.'
'But on the other hand I don't really understand the foreign competitors. All athletes should be above politics, but they just watch TV and believe everything they read. I always thought the cold war was long in the past. Why start it again, by using sport?'
Regardless of the war of words, the young King put her money where her mouth was and delivered the goods with a powerful performance against her 24-year-old rival.
10. Taking down barriers: Taekwondo star is first Iranian woman to win medal
Kimia Alizadeh won bronze by stuffing Swede Nikita Glasnostic 5-1 in the taekwondo under-57kg division. Iran has banned women from sports stadiums since the revolution in 1979 and few have ever made an appearance in the Olympics.
But the then 18-year-old Alizadeh wore a headscarf as she took to the mat in Rio, and waved the Iranian flag proudly after her win.
President Hassan Rouhani even tweeted after the bout: 'My daughter Kimia, you have triggered the happiness of all the Iranians, and particularly of the women. I wish you eternal joy.'
![Kimia Alizadeh won bronze at the Rio Games, becoming the first Iranian woman to win a medal](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/14/14/23646052-8003517-The_Taekwondo_athlete_wrote_on_Instagram_this_month_that_she_was-a-4_1581691171101.jpg)
Kimia Alizadeh won bronze at the Rio Games, becoming the first Iranian woman to win a medal
But the joy appears to have faded since Rio, as Alizadeh revealed last month she is moving to Germany because she has had enough of being used as a propaganda 'tool' by Iran.
Alizadeh, now 21, from Karaj, has been training in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven, after leaving Iran at the end of 2018. The athlete wrote on Instagram she was prepared to accept the 'hardship of homesickness' because she 'didn't want to be part of hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery'.
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